Campus Response

1. ISU Police (ISUPD) officers will immediately respond to reported location on campus.
2. Normal Police Department will be notified to provide additional support.
3. Upon confirmation of reported incident, ISUPD will issue a campus-wide alert via the campus emergency paging system, campus-wide e-mail, and ISU Web page update (IllinoisState.edu). A public address announcement will be made in all residence halls.
4. Police will tactically respond to the situation via Incident Command protocols and request additional law enforcement and medical support through Metro McLean County Centralized Communications Center (METCOM).
5. The campus Emergency Management Team and Student Affairs Incident Response Team will be convened to provide necessary support to tactical response agencies and tend to the needs of students and the campus community.

Individual Response

1. Campus personnel in the immediate vicinity of the shooter should seek shelter or, if safe to do so, immediately leave the building/area and seek safe refuge.
2. Other campus personnel should listen to guidance provided over the emergency notifications systems and seek shelter.
3. Once in a safe place, personnel should contact their family members to let them know they are not in danger. 
4. Police personnel on the scene should be informed of any information that could be of value to the response efforts.

Security Measures

• Illinois State University is served 24/7 from a campus professional police force of 23 full-time officers and has mutual aid agreements with the cities of Normal and Bloomington.  Officers can be dispatched from city locations to campus within minutes. 
• Across campus, there are more than two-dozen emergency call boxes—a direct outdoor link to police from almost anywhere on campus.
• The University Emergency Management Plan has been recently revised, incorporating individual departmental action plans, specific responsibilities, emergency notification process, training requirements, table top exercises and practice drills. 
• Illinois State University has the ability to quickly send warning messages to all student, faculty and staff e-mail addresses and to the IllinoisState.edu Web page.
• Illinois State has an emergency paging system for occupied buildings on campus and residence halls are also equipped with a public address system. 
• Illinois State is in the final stages of securing a mass notification system that can send emergency messages via phone (land and cell) and text messaging.  This system is targeted to be in place for 2008 Fall Semester.

 

 

Prevention

These emergency procedures, although important, are reactive.  Of most importance is avoiding violence through identification of potential problems.  The University Police Department serves as the primary resource for crime prevention.  In addition, Illinois State University students have multiple avenues for seeking assistance including Student Counseling Services, Student Health Services, the Dean of Students Office and University Housing Services.  The University's Student Behavioral Intervention Team identifies, monitors and recommends appropriate behavioral interventions for students who exhibit unhealthy and/or dangerous patterns of behavior.

Reporting Suspicious Behavior

As indicated, a critical factor in preventing acts of violence is identifying symptoms that may serve as warnings to violent behavior.  These would include:

• Person involved in surveillance activities or taking inappropriate photos / videos.
• Suspicious person loitering.
• Suspicious person using binoculars or night vision devices.

Other personal attributes that might cause reason for further scrutiny:

• Person acting furtively and suspiciously (e.g. trying not to be noticed).
• Person departing quickly when seen or approached.
• Person in place they don’t seem to belong.
• A strong odor coming from a building or a vehicle.
• An overloaded vehicle or vehicle in an unexpected location.
• Fluid leaking from a vehicle, other than the engine or gas tank.
• Person overdressed for the weather.

General Tips for Personal Safety

• Avoid walking alone at night and attempt to walk on main walkways / illuminated areas.
• Maintain a constant awareness of your surroundings.
• Do not prop doors open.
• Deny strangers access into residence halls.
• Keep room doors and vehicles locked.
• Know who is at your door before opening it.
• Be careful about the information that you share online.
• Be smart about alcohol and other drugs.